


Tomorrow is something we remember.

by emothy



Series: Rewritten [5]
Category: Prince of Tennis
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-11-28
Updated: 2006-11-28
Packaged: 2017-10-04 05:27:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emothy/pseuds/emothy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set just before Tezuka leaves for Germany. Spoilers for episodes 73 through 75. As well as events later revealed in 174 through 176.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tomorrow is something we remember.

-

"So, you told Oishi about the mountain climbing," Tezuka murmured as the others stepped ahead of himself and Fuji and began to make the climb. "All of us, together."

"You remember." Fuji smiled. "I didn't mean for it to happen like this. A sunrise from the top of the mountain... Oishi's more of a romantic then I would have thought." He leaves it unsaid that Tezuka's vice-captain, and possibly closest friend, may have a feeling inside that something is wrong.

Tezuka just nods, and though everyone else speaks, and they reply to others, between them, Tezuka and Fuji continue the rest of the way in a comfortable silence. At the top, Oishi is devestated to realise that the clouds might obstruct the view of the sunrise, but just in time they begin to float away and reveal the morning light.

"It's great that you came," Fuji says to Tezuka. They both know he has been distancing himself from the team from more reasons than just not being able to take part in even practice matches right now.

-

_"Germany, huh? Far, isn't it?" _

"I'm not worried. Even without me, Oishi is still here at Seigaku. You, too. "

"How long are you going to be there?"

"I don't know. Until I fully recover, I intend to focus on rehabilitation."

"When you come back, you'll be a perfect Tezuka Kunimitsu, huh?"

"Yeah. I will be able to play matches in my best condition. With whomever..."

"With whomever?"

"Yeah, with whomever."

"I see... I'm looking forward to it."

-

Fuji is glad that morning that no-one else shares the burden of the knowledge he holds. It is easy for him to hide behind his smile and take photos of everyone relaxed and content. And Tezuka's silence is only interpreted as him being himself. They are both thankful at that moment that no-one else knows anything is wrong, but neither can help but thing what the rest of the day will bring, knowing that is when Tezuka will reveal the truth to the rest of the Regulars team.

Fuji tries to look surprised, and pulls it off, but knows no-one else is paying much attention to any other person's reaction right now. Except him. Oishi looks utterly betrayed, and Fuji knows how much it hurts Tezuka to keep that expressionless mask upon his face in front of Oishi. He wants to tell Oishi what Tezuka told him; that he truly believes the team will be safe in his hands, but it is not his place, and he keeps his silence. Tezuka has left it until right after practice to speak of this, and so the discussions amongst the team are postponed until the next day, when they've all had time to think.

That evening, Fuji sits at the very edge of the court outline, but not outside of the cage, book in hand as Tezuka feeds coins into the ball-machine. Fuji does not look up openly, but flicks his eyes above the top of the pages he is supposed to be reading in order to watch. Tezuka is practicing hitting with his right arm, and though he shows no emotion, like usual, while he plays, Fuji can't help but see what a blow it is to his ego in the way that he hesitates at first before he hits. It brings back painful memories of a first-year who pretended he was right-handed and played so in order not to hurt anyone's feelings, though he should have been able to shine like the bright star he was. It doesn't take long for Tezuka's shots to become just as powerful as with his left hand, and just as accurate too.

"I have to talk to Oishi," Tezuka tells Fuji the next day at school. Fuji nods.

"I think I'm going to go find Kikumaru..." he replies absently. Eiji, for all his fun and laughter, knows the depths of emotion one can have for another team-member. He is trustworthy and serious at important moments, and he will understand, Fuji thinks.

"I don't know what will happen without him." Fuji says with a sigh, trying not to make it too obvious that he is talking about himself.

"It's not like he's going there forever..." Eiji says, trying to console Fuji, and it makes him want to clam up. This is not something he feels he should share any longer, and so he pretends he was discussing the team all along. Eiji will understand a conversation like that too, after all. That is what the rest of the team are thinking about right now.

"I suppose so." Fuji agrees. "If other schools learn that Tezuka isn't in our line-up... They'll change their line-up accordingly. We'll need to think of a new strategy."

"Inui and Ryuzaki-sensei will do something." Eiji insists. Fuji smiles an ironic smile to himself. If only they could do something. Except that Ryuzaki-sensei already has, and he cannot fault her decision, considering she acted just as he expected her to.

"I guess..."

At practice that day, Fuji sticks with the familiar so that even when off his game he will not make any stupid mistakes; he asks Taka-san to play against him. He misses an easy ball when Tezuka steps onto the courts racket in hand and dressed to play a match, but everybody's eyes are on the captain, and it goes undetected.

Once Tezuka has discouraged the worries of Oishi, among others, he heads straight towards Fuji, who swallows hard. He knows what is coming, but he can't help but think to the future, and Tezuka's promise for when he is back from Germany. _No_, he tells himself, _this is not the same._

"Fuji, I want to have a light rally. Would you join me?"

Fuji puts on a smile for the audience. "Sure."

It takes him more than one return of the ball to even notice Tezuka is using his right-hand, so used to it he has become in even a day or two, but he realises even Tezuka would not go so far to aggravate his injury when there was no match at stake, no hurdle for the team to overcome. It truly startles him to realise Tezuka is willing to do this in front of everyone else, though, but it only proves that tennis is the only thing that really matters to him. One last rally on these courts before he leaves.

_This,_ Fuji thinks to himself, _this is Tezuka._

He senses it before it comes, he knows Tezuka must not, could not, leave without giving Echizen something to remember and mull over. He knows Tezuka will not risk himself, and is proved right when the captain continues to play with his right-hand. It is not unfamiliar to him, after all.

When the pendulum stops and the right-handed Tezuka Zone comes into effect, Fuji can hear the lesson in his mind. Skill, technique, power; none of it is concerned with which hand you play with. In order to be the best, you must conform to whatever limits you are presented with, and overcome them.

Another; Echizen himself knows what it is to be so skilled that he can evolve during a match, but what will he do when he reaches the level of opponent that can do the same? How will he adjust and cope with their fast evolution; will he falter and lose the match like so many of his own opponents before him?

These are the kind of lessons Tezuka has resolved to teach Echizen, because he will learn them from no-one else in quite the same way. Fuji smiles, and only wishes Tezuka would be there to see the latent result of this effort, but he will be in Germany.

Tezuka's return will be more important than he can ever anticipate. Fuji considers skipping practice to say his goodbyes, but he knows he can never make Tezuka fully understand. He would not believe himself such an inherent part of so many people and their development.

In many situations, Fuji's understanding of what people truly need, is simply greater. He looks up to the sky, and for every plane he sees between Tezuka's departure and his return, a shudder runs through him with the fear and anticipation of a match between the two of them, finally.

-


End file.
